James Azar - CEO at CyberHub; CISO; Espresso Lovin’ Non-Stop, Doesn’t Stop!

The CISO Diaries

This week captures the one and only, James Azar, CISO – CISSP, Host of CISO Talk Podcast and CyberHub Podcast. Hopped up on his daily espressos he brings passion, energy and opinions to share about his journey into cybersecurity and views on leadership. As much as he challenges all of us, not just on cybersecurity, but on geopolitical issues, he is an avid supporter in the veteran community, helping them break into cyber careers. Make sure you’re not tired for this one, or else you’ll miss a beat keeping up as James keeps us on our toes!

CONNECT WITH JAMES AZAR:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-j-azar/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/cyberhubpodcast
• Website: Cyberhubpodcast.com

HIGHLIGHTS:

0:00 – Intros & Background

• To Espresso or not to Espresso
• Value of 8-12 minute “Espresso Meetings”
• Significance of the Paisley Shirt and the fundraising for the Wounded Warrior Project
• Donate and Learn about Wounded Warrior Project: https://www.woundedwarriorproject.org/
• Importance of helping Veterans to get into Cybersecurity

10:00 – What does James Azar actually do?

• James isn’t just a podcaster, he’s also a CISO at a FinTech company.
• Started a podcast 3 years ago for practitioners and not the “standard” pitch from vendors
• Check out James’ podcasts: Cyber Hub Podcast, CISO
• Talk, Goodbye Privacy, Tech Town Square, The Other Side of Cyber
• Having the discipline of adhering to the Sabbath to “get away from it all”
• Finding passion for cybersecurity and purpose

20:27 – Benefits of Working with a Significant Other

• Initially working together was purely professional for years, romance came later and naturally
• James unabashedly loves and supports his wife: She’s a trailblazer!

24:42 – Finding Your “Me” Time

• Initially it was free flow to do nothing, but Georgia is beautiful, so itching to get out is appealing
• Consider doing day trips to random cities in towns to “get out”
• Take time away and find a hobby and get balance is so important!

28:28 – Words of Encouragement and Suggestions on Getting into Cybersecurity

• Fallacy – Cybersecurity is “special and complex”
• Gatekeepers are doing a disservice to get less experienced access to experience
• Putting in 80 hours is not a badge of honor
• James doesn’t care for Certs and Degrees – It’s about experience and skills
• Universities do not necessarily have the best or correct curriculum for cybersecurity, but they are coming around
• Tips for jobseekers:
• Do a ONE MINUTE VIDEO on LinkedIn! You WILL stand out.
• Document PROJECTS, Volunteering, Event Attendance, ie. DEFCON
• Suggestion to change:
• Take away ATF System
• HR systems don’t know cybersecurity as well as the hiring managers
• “Plank Meetings” – Gets together Bi-Weekly and teams get together to review candidates for each of their positions to determine best fits
• Comments on “Coded Bias” on Netflix – James’ opinion: Alienated groups, but science was true.

43:25 – Thoughts on Getting Employees on Board with Security

• Should employees have some repercussion for poor security awareness?
• The challenge of keeping a company productive and security’s role
• James suggests to look at technology differently. Solve his problem. Not a layer to do business.
• Security should be transparent to users, however if you are looking for it, you’ll see. Ex. Look for plain clothes security at airports. Once you know what to look for, they are easier to identify.

Cheers to Espresso (or maybe Bourbon at the end of the day!)